These photos were taken back in 2023, but Elias and this session deserved a proper home on the new site. Better late than never!


Downtown Austin has this way of making a wide angle lens look like it was invented specifically for it. Concrete staircases, raw architecture, the kind of geometry that photographers dream about finding on a Tuesday afternoon. Elias showed up a little unsure, the way most people do before they realize the camera is more interested in who they are than how they stand. Somewhere between outfit one and outfit two, that uncertainty disappeared completely. By the end, he was working the frame like he'd been doing this for years, big smile and all, and honestly I was just trying to keep up.

Young man in white t-shirt sitting outdoors near hanging green plants against a white slatted wall.
Young man sitting on a wall laughing, wearing white tee, black jeans, and Jordan sneakers, kicking one leg up.
Man in white t-shirt sitting on concrete wall under modern pergola with hanging green plants.
Young Black man with dreadlocks in white t-shirt stands near urban garden with lush green plants and modern building.
Young man with dreadlocks wearing a white Dior t-shirt standing beside a colorful floral mural outdoors.
Man in white t-shirt posing with arms outstretched outdoors near modern building with yellow metal staircase.
A young man in white shirt and black pants walks past a modern building with a yellow fire escape staircase.
Young man in white t-shirt and black jeans standing confidently in front of a concrete wall in an urban setting.
Young man in white t-shirt and sunglasses posing confidently against a glass block wall outdoors.

Here's what you need to know about my friend Elias. He was a graduating senior from Akins High School with a 3.8 GPA, received a University of Arizona scholarship, and went on to help win a national championship with the Arizona Men's Wheelchair Basketball team in 2025. That's not a list of accolades you skim past. Rare is the person who carries that kind of academic and athletic record simultaneously, and rarer still is the one who walks into a photo session with those kind of skills and zero ego about it. Elias is genuinely just a good human who also happens to be exceptional at what he does.

Young man in white t-shirt and black pants leaning on metal railing in modern industrial building.

Senior portraits exist for a reason most people don't think about until years later. Right now they can feel like a fun afternoon downtown, a couple outfit changes, a few laughs. A decade from now they become evidence of exactly who you were at the moment everything was about to change. Elias stepped into something significant, and these photos are followed him there. That's the whole point of this work!

Young man in white tee and black jeans sitting on outdoor concrete stairs near an Aveda store.
Young man in white Dior sweatshirt with short dreadlocks posing in urban concrete setting with stairs.
Young man with curly hair smiling while sitting on outdoor stairs wearing a white t-shirt and dark jeans.
Young man in white Dior t-shirt smiling on urban stairs with graffiti wall background.
Young man with dreadlocks wearing white t-shirt and gray jeans standing against weathered concrete wall outdoors.
Young man with dreadlocks wearing a white t-shirt and gray jeans standing against a concrete wall outdoors.
Young man smiling on concrete steps outdoors, wearing white t-shirt, dark jeans, and high-top sneakers, with backpack beside him.
Young man with a prosthetic leg sitting on a concrete bench against a wooden fence in an urban setting.